“Barack Obama has driven the American economy into a ditch,” Priebus said in the missive, a copy of which was obtained by OpenSecrets Blog. “His ‘Debt-End’ Bus will visit as many of the ’57 states’ as possible to hoodwink the voters with more empty promises and misplaced blame.”

(The ’57 states’ remark is a reference to a 2008 gaffe by then-candidate Obama when he misspoke in Oregon about the number of states he had visited as a presidential candidate. Obama had meant to say 47.)

The RNC’s message also took a swipe at Obama for using tax-payer money to bankroll the bus tour. The RNC also launched a new advertising campaign against Obama on a similar theme.

The White House, meanwhile, has defended using tax-payer money for the trip, saying the bus tour is not a campaign expense.

Paul Ryan, an attorney at the nonpartisan Campaign Legal Center, told OpenSecrets Blog that the practice of using of tax-payer money is commonplace for official travel. Ryan added that federal rules only prohibit politicians from using official funds to pay for campaign-related expenses.

“Any expenses related to a campaign must be paid by the campaign committee,” Ryan said. “But stating what the law is is easier than applying the law in some cases.”

Obama is not the first person to use tax-payer money to visit politically advantageous state on official business. Kase Wickman of RawStory.com notes that Presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton also frequently made targeted official trips while in the White House.

TANCREDO’S SUPER PAC: Fresh off his unsuccessful gubernatorial campaign as the Constitution Party candidate in Colorado, ex-Rep. Tom Tancredo has founded his own super PAC. The group, which is known as the American Legacy Alliance, filed paperwork with the Federal Election Commission Friday announcing its intention to “raise funds in unlimited amounts” and “make independent expenditures.”

Over his career in federal politics, Tancredo raised nearly $14.2 million. His biggest benefactors included retirees, real estate interests, Republican leadership PACs and the oil and gas industry. During the 2008 election cycle, Tancredo unsuccessfully campaigned for the GOP presidential nomination, championing the issues of border security and tougher immigration laws. That’s a message that his super PAC is continuing to herald.

“Your children and grandchildren are going to inherit a very different America than the one you live in today,” Tancredo warns on the group’s website.

“English will give way to the hodgepodge of languages spoken by those that chose to ignore what few immigration laws remain,” he continues. “The rule of law will only exist to protect the rights of those that break the law and exploit the system. Western civilization will only really exist in the history books, if they are allowed to learn about it. Unless we do something about it today.”

The group’s first priority, according to its website, is to “defeat the Obama Amnesty.” Images of children also appeared on the website, alongside text expressing doubts about the future of the English language and warning of an “economy without hope.”

Click to see a larger version of the image.

Click to see a larger version of the image.

THE KING& THE GOP: Thirty-four years ago today, Elvis Presley left the building for good, dying from a prescription drug overdose at his home, Graceland, in Memphis, Tennessee. The “King of Rock and Roll” once famously met with President Richard Nixon, and residents of Tennessee continue to shower Republicans with political love, according to a review of campaign finance data by the Center for Responsive Politics.

During the 2010 election cycle, residents of Tennessee who contributed at least $200 to political candidates and committees donated more than $22.8 million. Two-thirds of that sum benefited Republicans. Residents of Shelby County, where Graceland is located, alone contributed $3.5 million — with 60 percent of that sum benefiting Republicans, according to the Center’s research.

Residents of the Memphis metro area donated about $3.6 million to federal candidates and political committees during the 2010 election cycle, according to the Center’s research. Only the Nashville metro area donated more, with about $9.5 million in contributions.

During the 2008 presidential election, residents of Tennessee favored Fred Thompson with their campaign cash. The former Republican senator from Tennessee collected about $3.4 million from Tennesseans. Republican John McCain, meanwhile, ranked second behind Thompson, with about $2.8 million in contributions, and Democrat Barack Obama ranked third, with about $2.7 million in contributions, according to the Center’s research.

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